Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/136)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

And He, Most High, said:

“We have sent the devils upon the disbelievers, relentlessly inciting them.”

[Surah Maryam: 83]

(1)

And He, Most High, said:

“When the promise concerning the first of the two came to pass, We sent against you servants of Ours endowed with mighty power, and they ranged throughout the dwellings. It was a promise fulfilled.”

[Surah al-Isrā: 5]

Was His sending of the devils and His dispatching of those aggressors against the Children of Israel—was it (2) a command of revealed law that He ordered them to carry out, just as He sent (3) His messengers with clear proofs and guidance, and as He raised among the unlettered a messenger from among themselves who recites His verses to them and purifies them (4)? Or was it an act of divine decree and empowerment, even though the one thus empowered was unjust and transgressive (5), disobedient to Allah’s religion and His revealed law (6)?

It is also well known that most people on earth acknowledge divine decree, yet despite this (7) they praise those who do good and condemn those who do evil. They have an innate disposition toward both. Thus, they acknowledge that Allah (Most High) is the Creator and Lord of all things, and that He decreed all of this, empowered the one and granted ease to the other; yet they praise the one and condemn the other. Those who affirm that Allah creates human acts and acknowledge divine decree likewise praise those who do good and condemn those who do evil (8), while agreeing that Allah is the Creator of both acts.

Accordingly, their claim that this commits them (9) to making no distinction between the one and the other imposes a consequence that does not follow (10).

(1) This verse is absent from N and M. (2) N and M read: “it is.” (3) A and B read: “He commanded.” (4) “And purifies them” is omitted in A and B. N reads: “and purifies them and teaches them the Book and wisdom.” (5) N and M read: “*mutaʿaddiyan* (transgressive).” (6) ʿ reads: “or His revealed law.” (7) A and B read: “and despite this.” (8) The foregoing passage is omitted in A and B. “Most High” is added in ʿ. (9) ʿ reads: “Accordingly, their claim that they are obliged…”; M: “And his statement obliges them…” (10) ʿ reads: “as a consequence that does not follow.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا} [سُورَةُ مَرْيَمَ: ٨٣] (١) ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ أُولَاهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَنَا أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجَاسُوا خِلَالَ الدِّيَارِ وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَفْعُولًا} [سُورَةُ الْإِسْرَاءِ: ٥] فَإِرْسَالُهُ الشَّيَاطِينَ وَبَعْثُهُ لِهَؤُلَاءِ الْمُعْتَدِينَ عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَهُوَ (٢) أَمْرٌ شَرْعِيٌّ أَمَرَهُمْ بِهِ، كَمَا أَرْسَلَ (٣) رُسُلَهُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَى، وَكَمَا بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ (٤) ؟ أَمْ هُوَ تَقْدِيرٌ وَتَسْلِيطٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْمُسَلَّطُ ظَالِمًا مُعْتَدِيًا (٥) عَاصِيًا لِدِينِ اللَّهِ وَشَرْعِهِ (٦) . ثُمَّ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ عَامَّةَ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ مُقِرُّونَ بِالْقَدَرِ، وَهُمْ مَعَ هَذَا (٧) يَمْدَحُونَ الْمُحْسِنَ وَيَذُمُّونَ الْمُسِيءَ فُطِرُوا عَلَى هَذَا وَعَلَى هَذَا، فَيُقِرُّونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ (تَعَالَى) خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَرَبُّهُ، وَأَنَّهُ قَدَّرَ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ وَسَلَّطَ هَذَا وَيَسَّرَ هَذَا، وَيَمْدَحُونَ هَذَا وَيَذُمُّونَ هَذَا، وَأَهْلُ الْإِثْبَاتِ الْمُقِرُّونَ بِالْقَدَرِ يَمْدَحُونَ الْمُحْسِنَ وَيَذُمُّونَ الْمُسِيءَ، (٨) ، مَعَ اتِّفَاقِهِمْ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَالِقُ الْفِعْلَيْنِ. فَقَوْلُهُمْ: إِنَّهُ يَلْزَمُهُمْ (٩) أَنْ لَا يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ هَذَا وَهَذَا - لُزُومُ مَا لَا يَلْزَمُ (١٠)

(١) هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ لَيْسَتْ فِي (ن) ، (م) . (٢) ن، م: هُوَ. (٣) أ، ب: أَمَرَ. (٤) وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي (ن) : وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ. (٥) ن، م: مُتَعَدِّيًا. (٦) ع: أَوْ شَرْعِهِ. (٧) أ، ب: وَمَعَ هَذَا. (٨) سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) تَعَالَى زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) . (٩) ع: فَقَوْلُهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ يَلْزَمُهُمْ، م: وَقَوْلُهُ يَلْزَمُهُمْ. (١٠) ع: لُزُومًا لَا يَلْزَمُ.